


Tight Grip

by amyponders



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlet Witch (Comic), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arguing, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Bar Room Brawl, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Canon Related, During Canon, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, Fights, Fist Fights, Gen, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Summaries, Implied Sexual Content, Jealousy, Marvel Universe, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Other, Possessive Behavior, Post-Avengers (2012), Power Dynamics, Protective Siblings, Scarlet Witch - Freeform, Siblings, Twins, Unhealthy Relationships, Walk Into A Bar, maximoff twins, quicksilver - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22892503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyponders/pseuds/amyponders
Summary: Wanda and Pietro spend some time at a ratty bar where a man tries to hit on Wanda and Pietro reacts violently, as usual.
Relationships: Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff
Kudos: 37





	Tight Grip

**Author's Note:**

> I'm fascinated by the relationship these two have and how weird, close-knit, and borderline toxic it can be.

Pietro entered through the bar door huffing, the metal hinges creaking as it swung open violently. Wanda trailed him close as he evaded tipsy girls and uproarious drunk men on his way to a booth. The music was too loud to let her clear her thoughts, the ambient too crowded and dirty to make her wind down. She hated bars and was only following Pietro out of fear he did something stupid in her absence. She sighed low, a little annoyed at his temper tantrum but kept on walking behind his twin. 

“Fuck.” He sat down forcefully and cursed loudly, his shoulders stiff. Wanda sat too and flinched slightly.

“Pietro…”

“Don’t. Just- Don’t.” Pietro growled.

“We’ll get him next time. We are nothing if not patient.”

“Maybe you are!”

“No. I said ‘we’.  _ You _ will learn how to be patient too.”

“I don’t like it!”

“No one does. But it pays off.” She leaned in, her hand reached across the table and landed reassuringly on top of his. “Hey, listen to me. Stark can’t outrun us forever. He will pay for what he put us through.” Her voice lowered to a raspy breath. 

Pietro was still breathing hard; his chest heaving up and down. Being so close to the man responsible for their parent’s death and not being able to take him down had been hard for both, but Wanda wasn’t sure what was affecting Pietro more, the fact that they had missed him, or that it had been by a window of mere seconds. Pietro hated falling behind. He  _ never _ fell behind. Wanda squeezed his hand a little stronger this time and he finally turned it upside down and laced it with his fingers before kissing it in a swift motion.

“I hope you’re right, sister.”

“When am I not?” She smirked and turned her attention to a red-headed waitress that had arrived unceremoniously. 

She was wearing a black Dixie Chicks crop top and the shortest shorts Wanda had ever seen. They were practically hot pants. Wanda guessed the bikers stormed the bar regularly for a reason; they could have cheap beer, loud music, and girls in skimpy clothes all in one place.

“Hi! What can I get you?” The waitress said in a chipper voice.

Wanda shook her head no before Pietro said: “Two beers.” 

Wanda shot him a look: “I’m not drinking.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Two beers.” He repeated at the confused waitress, before seizing her up and down not-so-subtly. The waitress arched her brow and said: “Right away, handsome.” She popped her bubble gum loudly.

Wanda rolled her eyes in slight annoyance but said nothing.

“You think that man Steve Rogers had something to do with Stark knowing where we’d be?” Pietro returned his attention to his sister.

“It’s possible. I don’t think it was a coincidence we ran into him at the piazza mere minutes before.”

“Then I’ll take him out too. I’ll take everyone out. I don’t care.”

The waitress returned with two beers and set them down in front of them while looking straight at Piero. “Can I get you something else?”

“You should have something to eat.” He shot at Wanda.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You’ve been up since dawn with nothing in your system.”

She opened her mouth to protest but Pietro spoke louder and said: “Bring her something.”

Wanda gave him a side-eyed look but figured resistance was pointless. He would not let her leave this place unless she ate, even if it meant cramming food down her throat.

“Anything in specific, honey?” The waitress asked him, leaning over with the excuse that the heavy metal music in the background was too loud.

“Not really.” He licked his lips. “Whatever you sell the most in this joint. As for me...” Pietro smiled and lowered his eyes. “I suppose you’re not on the menu.” 

The waitress replied: “No, but the chicken paprika is really good too.” She put on a wide smile.

“Great. Bring me that. Maybe later we can talk about dessert.” He winked. 

The girl looked at him provocatively and twirled around before walking away. 

“I could vomit.”

Pietro bent his head and looked at her amused. “You know there’s no need for you to be jealous.” 

Her hand was still laced with his under the table.

“I’m not jealous. I’m disgusted. There’s a difference.” She withdrew her hand violently.

“Disgusted?” Pietro scoffed. He knew she would never admit it with words but she was just as possessive of him as he was of her.

“Yes.” She answered laconically, her face was all thin lines and hard angles.

He couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, little sister. I’ll stop if that’s what you want. I guess I won’t have  _ any _ fun tonight.” Pietro said taking the beer to his mouth and he chuckled, the anger slowly leaving his body. His shoulders were relaxing and his posture loosening up. “Do you want to talk about it?” Pietro tried. 

He knew her sister was also angry at them losing Stark and at something else that had happened before that. Even if she tried to play it cool, it was informing all of her behavior tonight and he still didn’t know exactly what was bothering her, which made him incredibly antsy. Tonight they had lots of things to be pissed off about, but he worried excessively about her. 

She could be difficult to deal with and he had to poke and prod at her in a hundred different ways to find a crack in her walls. He usually succeeded, but it took him a long time. And of course, no matter how upset she was, Wanda always tried to calm him down before dealing with her own feelings, which was kind of their usual way. Once he calmed down enough, he’d help her wind down too. And that’s how they got through things, in a fragile balance, looking after the other with tough love and fierce determination. 

“Not really.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want this to end. I want the hunt for that son of a whore to end once and for all so we can finally be at peace and disappear somewhere together. That’s what I want.”

“I want that too.”

“Good.”

“Good.” He repeated curtly. “But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?” He took another swig from his bottle.

Silence. Wanda had her eyes turned in the direction opposite him, her arms crossed around her chest like armor. 

“You know I can’t help you if you don’t talk. Only one of us can fiddle with minds.” He stated.

She finally moved her hand and took the other bottle. She opened it and took one big gulp from it, making a face. She hated beers.

The waitress arrived with a burger in one hand and his chicken paprika in the other. She set their plates down and smirked at Pietro who’d suddenly turned ice-cold, eyes set intently on Wanda as if the world around them didn’t exist anymore. The girl frowned but left without saying anything. 

Wanda fiddled idly with her fries for a while, eating a couple and fingering others distractedly, clearly not that interested in eating.

“That lady in the piazza... Just before Rogers arrived to fuck everything up... She told me I would never have children.” __

_ Crack. _ There it was.

“And that bothers you, why?”

“Because not all of us want to fuck everything that moves and never settle down. I want a family of my own someday.”

“I’m your family.” Pietro rebuffed her flatly. 

“I want children.” Wanda stated.

“And you will have them. You’ll have anything you damn want because I’ll make sure of it.” His voice left little room for discussion. “She’s just a weird old lady.” He leaned in as much as the table allowed him, closing the distance between them to kiss her forehead reassuringly.

“I’m weird.”

“ _ You _ have actual powers.”

“Who says she doesn’t?”

“Who says she does? I never took you for the kind who believes in that crap.”

“After all we’ve seen, you don’t believe in magic? I’m living proof of that!” Wanda’s eyes were spitting fire.

“The difference is you don’t go around telling fortunes for a dollar. I’ve seen what you can do.  _ Firsthand _ . Don’t compare yourself to a swindler.”

“I just-”

“You can do anything. Don’t let her shit throw you off balance.” Pietro said in a decisive tone which meant their argument was over as far as he was concerned. He started devouring his plate. “Forget about it.”

Wanda pursed her lips and stared at her food. “What if she’s right?”

“She’s not. Eat, my darling. You need your strength.”

She tried to eat some more but the mere smell of food made her stomach churn. She lifted her gaze from her plate abjectly and saw a guy staring straight at her. He had slick blonde hair and a blue v-neck shirt that hugged his lean muscles. He looked way too nice and clean-shaven to belong in that ratty bar. He grinned confidently before looking away. She tilted her head to the side but did nothing, too caught up in her own mind to pay him any attention. 

She kept thinking of the lady’s words over and over. Even if she could conceive, what kind of life could she give the child? She’d never had a steady home before and her bond to Pietro was too strong to exist apart from him. And she knew he would never settle down. It was written in his DNA, he was a wanderer. And she would follow him to the ends of the earth. Wanda was aware it wasn’t healthy but there had never been anything healthy or normal about their relationship, to begin with. And deep down she knew that if she had to choose between having a baby and her brother, the answer would be painfully evident.

After a long while of sitting in the foggy atmosphere of the bar, she could still feel the man’s gaze fixed on them. She stole a glance his way and he smiled at her again, this time acting a little coy in the process. If he didn’t stop staring, soon Pietro would notice. Wanda saw her brother shift in his seat and throw the napkin in front of them carelessly. 

Wanda eyed him thinking he’d seen the man but he only said: “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. When I come back, I want to see your plate squeaky clean.”

As soon as Pietro disappeared among the crowd of sweaty people, the man stood up from his seat on the bar and walked over to her.

_ Please don’t. _

“Hey.” The man chuckled. “I just wanted to tell you that I think you are incredibly beautiful and if that’s not your man, I would be interested in taking you out sometime. What do you say, gorgeous?”

Straight to the point, not too sleazy. She respected that, even if she was about to say ‘no’ to him. There was just no place for relationships in her life. Sure, she could sleep with him and move on, but she rarely engaged in one night stands. Not with Pietro breathing down her neck at all times.

“That is my brother.”

“That’s excellent news.” He leaned closer to her and bit his lip.

“Not so fast. I did not say I was interested.” She retorted, giving him a twisted smile and her eyes gleamed.

“Are you not, then?” 

“It is not a good time.” 

“And when is it?”

“Not now.”

She could sense her brother walking back to the table and she started thinking of a reason to make him go away.

“Ask me later.” Wanda dismissed him. She probably shouldn’t have said that but she said it anyway. 

He stood awkwardly for a second before turning on his heels and returning to the bar. 

Pietro sat down with a plop and looked at her plate. “What did I tell you?”

Wanda sighed exasperated and took a bite out of the burger.

“There. Happy?”

“Come on! Finish it!” He urged.

She started chomping down on it without much desire but it was getting late and they had to go back to their motel room. Tomorrow the hunt for Stark would continue.

“That guy on the bar is starting to wear on my nerves.” Pietro shot coolly.

She lifted her eyes from her fries and scanned her brother’s face. Of course he had noticed!

“Don’t do one of your scenes.” Wanda warned slowly.

“Only if he doesn’t stop.” He grinned.

“He’s just looking.” She said dismissively.

“Well, he shouldn’t be.”

Wanda clenched her jaw and bore her eyes into Pietro’s. “This rule of yours is incredibly one-sided.”

“What are you talking about? I just turned that waitress down because you asked me to.”

Wanda stayed silent. She knew that if they started playing his game they would never stop.

Pietro got up from his seat and said: “Scoot.” And she obeyed half-heartedly. 

He passed an arm around her shoulders and looked to the side at the man by the bar, his body effectively shielding her from the man’s view. Wanda refrained herself from looking over at him or at his expression. She really was in no mood to go through another one of Pietro’s fits, so the least she reacted, the better.

When they were done they stood up and Pietro dropped a bill on the table. He kept his arm tightly locked around her shoulders as they made their way to the exit and she let him, knowing very well that Pietro would feel insulted if she pulled away. Surprisingly, the man stopped them, lightly grabbing Wanda’s hand as she passed by.

“Hey.” He said and smiled. His eyes were glinting hopefully.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Pietro snapped at him.

“Woah. Calm down, dude. I just want to talk to your sister.”

“And I said get away from her!” Pietro shoved him back and the noise in the bar started to dwindle.

“Why are you acting so aggressively? She’s the one who told me to ask her out later! I’m just-”

Pietro glanced over at his sister, a look of betrayal in his eyes but instead of interrogating her, he shot at the guy: “Well, she’s not interested anymore, are you sister?”

“Why not?” The man inquired.

“Because I say so.”

“Do you speak for her?” The man stood up from the stool and squared his shoulders. People were staring.

“I do.” Pietro faced him with a hardened gaze.

Wanda didn’t know what to do. She tried to appeal to Pietro by grabbing his arm and tugging at it. “Pietro… come on.” She pleaded calmly. “Let’s just go. Please.” She had no feelings for the guy whatsoever, but she knew that if her brother decided to hit the man, he would probably break his jaw. “It’s not worth it.”

Pietro spat at the stranger’s feet and turned around to leave, somehow listening to his sister’s pleas for once. Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise. Wanda realized with horror that the guy had smashed a bottle over Pietro’s head and what followed was a rather unequal fight that ended with Pietro being restrained by two taller, muscular guys while the other man tried to get up from the floor. Her first instinct, however, was to see how much damage Pietro had received. 

She cupped his face to make him look at her; just a few harmless scratches and a little blood. She knew that as much as she shouldn’t condone his outbursts, and as angry as it made her sometimes to have to live under his tight grip, he was still the world to her. Pietro forcefully escaped from the men’s clutch to hold Wanda’s hand. As they started walking out of the bar, all eyes on them, she silently confirmed what she’d always known; that she would pick Pietro over anyone and anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Look me up on Tumblr! deans-ch-ch-cherrypie.tumblr.com
> 
> In case you want to support me: https://ko-fi.com/amyponders


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